General Format
be typed, double-spaced, with two spaces after
punctuation between sentences
on standard-sized paper (8.5”x11”)
with 1” margins on all sides
in 10-12 pt. Times New Roman or a similar font
include a page header (title) in the upper left-
hand of every page and a page number in the
upper right-hand side of every page
Your essay should:
References
Main Body
Abstract
General Format (cont’d)
Title page
Your essay should include four major sections:
Note: Some Professors don’t
require the abstract.
Title Page
Page header:(use Insert Page Header)
title flush left + page number flush right.
Title:(in the upper half of the page, centered)name (no title or degree) + affiliation (university, etc.)
What should my title look like?APA style titles State the main idea concisely Identify essential variables or theoretical
issues of import School Counselors’ Role in Dating Violence
Intervention Evidence-based Counseling Interventions
with Children of Divorce: Implications for Elementary School CounselorsBottom line: Be accurate; Be concise(and you can shorten it for the “running
head”)
Abstract Page
Page header: do NOT include “Running head:”
Abstract (centered, at the top of the page)
Write a brief (between 150 and 250 words) summary of your paper in an accurate, concise, and specific manner. Should contain: at research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions. May also include possible implications of your research and future work you see connected with your findings. May also include keywords.
Main Body (Text)
Be sure the first text page is page # 3 (or 2, if no abstract)
Type the title of the paper centered, at the top of the page
Type the text double-spaced with all sections following each other without a break
Identify the sources you use in the paper in parenthetical in-text citations
Format tables and figures
What goes in the main body? Introduction
Topic and purpose
Review of the Literature Analytical compilation of relevant research
Implications Answer “Who cares?” and “So what?”
Conclusion The big “take-away” for the reader
References Page
Center the title– References—at the top of the page
Double-space reference entries
Flush left the first line of the entry and indent subsequent lines (“hanging indent”)
Order entries alphabetically by the author’s surnames
Do NOT include “Running head:” in the header after the title page!
References: Basics
Invert authors’ names (last name first followed by initials).
Alphabetize reference list entries by the last name of the first author of each work.
Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of an article title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns. Do not capitalize the first letter of the second word in a hyphenated compound word.
References: Basics (cont’d)
Capitalize all major words in journal titles.
Italicize titles of longer works such as books and journals.
Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes around the titles of shorter works such as journal articles or essays in edited collections.
List of References
Check and follow all rules regarding multiple authors
Check and follow rules of capitalization and notation of titles
Check and follow rules in general!
References Basics: Books and Book Chapters
Helfer, M. E., Kempe, R. S., & Krugman, R.
D. (1997). The battered child (5th ed.).
Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
O'Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992). Men's and
women's gender role journeys: A
metaphor for healing, transition, and
transformation. In B. R. Wainrib (Ed.),
Gender issues across the life cycle (pp.
107-123). New York, NY: Springer.
References: Periodicals (print & “e”)
Scruton, R. (1996). The eclipse of listening. The New Criterion, 15(30), 5-13.
Bower, H. (2001). The gender identity disorder in the DSM-IV classification: A critical evaluation. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35, 1-8. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1614 .2001.00859.x
What is a DOI???
Digital Object Identifier: Provides universal identifying information
for a piece of writing
Must be included in every article referenceBower, H. (2001). The gender identity disorder in the DSM-IV classification: A critical evaluation. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35, 1-8. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1614 .2001.00859.x
What if I don’t have a DOI?
Use the homepage web link
Meyer, W., III, Bockting, W. O., Cohen-Kettenis, P., Coleman, E., DiCeglie, D., Devor, H.,..Wheeler, C. C. (2001). The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association's standards of care for gender identity disorders. International Journal of Transgenderism, 5(1). Retrieved from
http://wwwsymposium.com/ijt/soc_01/index.htm
Integrating Sources: Paraphrasing v. Quoting
Quoting=precise wording
Paraphrasing=restating: intentionally NOT precise wording OR sentence structure
APA suggests more paraphrasing than quoting
Integrating Sources: Logic
Using Signal Phrases Marks boundaries Maintains fluency and authority
Most teachers gain experience on the job and develop rigid habits and theories after as few as four years. “Many teachers don’t last that long” (Kidder, 1989, p. 51).
Kidder (1989) asserted that most teachers gain experience on the job and develop rigid habits and theories after as few as four years, but he cautions that “many teachers don’t last that long” (p. 51).
Integrating Sources: Logic Contextualizing
Introduces material smoothly Provides opportunities to analyzeThe solutions proposed by a number of advocacy groups
underscore this interest in political and cultural change. A report by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (2004) outlined trends that may have contributed to the childhood obesity crisis, including food advertising for children as well as “a reduction in physical education classes…, an increase in the availability of sodas and snacks in public schools…, and the increasing number of highly processed high-calorie and high-fat grocery products” (p. 1). Addressing each of these areas requires more than a doctor armed with a prescription pad; it requires a broad mobilization not just of doctors and concerned parents but of educators, food industry executives, advertisers, and media representatives.
Ellipses
Take the place of omitted words What remains MUST be grammatically
complete!
Roman (2003) reported that “social factors are nearly as significant as individual metabolism in the formation of…dietary habits of adolescents” (p. 345).
Brackets
Help explain confusing references Help create proper grammar in context Jan Harold Brunvand (2009), in an
essay on urban legends, states: "some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point of learning every rumor or tale" (p. 78).
Jan Harold Brunvand claims some re-tellers become obsessed, “mak[ing] a point of learning every rumor or tale” (p. 78).
Punctuation Maintain it within the quotation, OR use brackets or
ellipses to modify Drop it at the end of the quoted portion, and
continue punctuating YOUR sentence after the parenthetical citation.
Exceptions: ? and ! Ex: “…contributing factors?” (p.9), a valid question in light of…
Robbins et al. (2003) suggested that the “therapists in dropout cases may have inadvertently validated parental negativity about the adolescent without adequately responding to the adolescent’s needs or concerns” (p.541), contributing to an overall climate of negativity.
In-Text Citations
Whether you paraphrase or quote, you MUST cite!
Citations are uniform in either case (paraphrasing or quoting), but differ by context
Two types of citations Contextual – generally, author’s surname and
year within the body of the sentence
Parenthetical – author’s surname and year appear in parentheses, usually at end of sentence
…negative effects of bullying” (Mitchell & Jansen, 2004, p. 34).
…bullying leads to detrimental attitudes and experiences (Mitchell & Janson, 2004, p. 34).
According to Mitchell and Jansen (2004), bullying leads to detrimental attitudes and experiences (p. 34).
Exception: Long quotations
More than 40 words
Indented five spaces on the left throughout
NO quotation marks!
Citation as follows…
Sample Long Quotation
The solutions proposed by a number of advocacy groupsunderscore this interest in political and cultural change. Areport by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (2004) outlinedtrends that may have contributed to the childhood obesity crisis,including food advertising for children as well as
a reduction in physical education classes and after-schoolathletic programs, an increase in the availability of sodasand snacks in public schools, the growth in the numberof fast-food outlets . . . , and the increasing numberof highly processed high-calorie and high-fat groceryproducts. (p. 1)
Addressing each of these areas requires more than a doctor armedwith a prescription pad; it requires a broad mobilization not justof doctors and concerned parents but of educators, food industryexecutives, advertisers, and media representatives.
Notice the difference in parenthetical placement!
APA Writing Style
Present your ideas in an orderly fashion.
Use transitions (then, next, while, since)
Addition links (in addition, moreover, furthermore, similarly)
Contrast links (but, conversely, however, although)
Cause-effect links (therefore, consequently, as a result)
APA Writing Style
Use consistent verb tenses Use the past tense to describe results Use the present tense to discuss results and
present conclusions
Say only what needs to be said Eliminate redundancy, wordiness, jargon,
overuse of the passive voice, clumsy prose
APA Writing Style
Aim for precision and clarityChoose your words carefully. Make certain
each word choice means exactly what you intend it to mean.
Eliminate colloquial expressions such as “quite a large part,” “practically all,” and “very few.”
Clarify pronouns or avoid using them if possible.
Avoid the first person, including the ambiguous “we.”
APA Writing Style
Word Choice Avoid labels when possible (not “the
mentally ill,” but “people with mental illnesses”)
Be wary of the verb “prove”—instead, “studies indicate” or “evidence suggests”
More on Writing Style
Chapter 3 in the APA Manual(6th ed.):“Writing Clearly and Concisely”
Well worth the read!
The Little Things…
In your own text, use “and” when there are two or more authors. Within citations, use “&.”
Sartes and Neinstein (2002) note that adolescent girls are more likely to experience symptoms of depression that adolescent boys.
Adolescent girls are more likely to experience symptoms of depression than adolescent boys (Sartes & Neinstein, 2002).
The Little Things…
When citing information from multiple sources, list the sources in alphabetical order and separate with semi-colons.
Recent studies (Howard, Stein & Frazer, 2004; Lance & Armstrong, 2004; Shine, 2003) indicate that at least one tenth of working women have been harassed within the past year.
The Little Things…
When citing a secondary source, use the following format:
Note: Only the “Jones” citation will appear on the references page.
Note: It is considered much stronger in terms of research technique to find and use the original source!
Women are reluctant to report harassment out of fear of retaliation (Howard & Glasser as cited in Jones, 2003).
The Little Things…
Sources without datesUse the abbreviation “n.d.” for no
date.
Only one study suggests that students are motivated solely by internal values (Smith, n.d.).
Helpful Links!
www.apastyle.org (check out the FAQs)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ (sometimes quicker than using the manual—also, great writing resources in general)
http://ww2.sjc.edu/pdf/cae/signalphrases.pdf
http://ww2.sjc.edu/pdf/cae/transitionaldevices.pdf